The resurgence of age fraud is posing a significant challenge for Indian cricket, with the recent case involving Sumit Sharma, an all-rounder from Odisha. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has responded decisively, imposing a two-year ban on Sharma, preventing his participation in any domestic cricket tournaments. The BCCI’s disciplinary committee took this stern action after discovering Sharma’s complicity in generating fraudulent age certificates, a grave transgression that threatens the integrity of the sport.

The BCCI’s decision was prompted by the discovery of inconsistencies in Sumit Sharma’s age-related documentation. Discrepancies were identified between the documents he had previously submitted and those presented for his inclusion in the Ranji team, according to inside sources. Consequently, Sharma has been removed from the Ranji team, and Tarini Sa has been named as his replacement just ahead of the Odisha team’s upcoming Ranji campaign against Baroda.

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Sumit Sharma, originally known for his left-arm spin, ascended to the Odisha Senior Men’s Ranji Trophy team after delivering noteworthy performances at the club level. However, this promising career now faces a setback due to the age fraud controversy.

The OCA, through its secretary Sanjay Behera, released a press statement acknowledging Sharma’s disqualification from BCCI Domestic Tournaments for the next two years. Behera revealed that Sharma had presented multiple age certificates, and the ones submitted during his junior-level participation in the 2015-16 season did not align with those provided for the current season, leading to the severe penalty imposed by the BCCI.